okay, I'll bite: who asked for this?!
These aren't really being used by top hat wearing, cigar smoking moguls.
Today they're basically private party trains and rail fan excursions.
Privately-Owned Rail Cars
21–30 of 250 posts
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wouldn't even need to pay me to do it. The only thing stopping me is a lack of a private train car and presumably the significant expense of running it :(
There’s gotta be a Groupon for this. So long as anyone doesn’t have a major criminal record, I’m game.
Why would a criminal record be relevant at all?
Other than prior convictions for train robbery, I guess.
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#23I suppose if you can afford this you can afford to travel on Amtrak time.
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#24We’ve had the tiny houses, shipping container homes, then the van life or schoolie (school bus as a home) trend, al of which were clever interpretations on what a home actually is. I’m sure some enterprising YouTuber/lifestyle blogger could get us started on the private train car home era. I’m here for it.
Ok, you're subscriber number one then. Anyone else? I'm completely serious. Private Varnish (ie: private railcars) have always been something I love. It would be a hoot to live in one with my fam for a year (if I can convince them).
I'm all on this for actually helping physically do this (even for loose definitions of physical, like run a website haha, but I'd imagine someone on HN restoring a train carriage could manage a Wix/SquareSpace/etc site by themselves)... I've wanted to build a steam engine since I was a kid, I thought it would be amazing to design a stupidly modern steam engine and break the world records with it, and this, while this is not a steam engine, it is honestly the closest I'll probably get to any of that dream given how impractical it is ...
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#25This is my "if I won the lottery" dream. Which it would have to be, since everything about it isn't cheap. Purchasing a Pullman car then upgrading it to Amtrak standards will cost at least $300k. Any interior upgrades are on top of that (renovating the galley with modern appliances, adding central air since some cars used block ice for cooling). Amtrak requires you add 480v head-end power (but you will likely want a…
You seem to know what you’re talking about, so…
I’ve heard that occasionally (rarely) they need to put some “public” cars behind the private ones. And if that happens, you are not allowed to prevent the public passengers from walking through your private car to get between the public sections.
Is that the case?
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wouldn't even need to pay me to do it. The only thing stopping me is a lack of a private train car and presumably the significant expense of running it :(
There’s gotta be a Groupon for this. So long as anyone doesn’t have a major criminal record, I’m game.
So its a privately owned and operated rail car, that lots of people can group together with and pay the total cost of by individually paying a smaller part of it, like some sort of ... publicly accessible private transportation ... I think you might be on to something!
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#27You should see how impressive some of the luxury trains have gotten. Japan has a couple of them that are particularly luxurious. And while these aren't owned by individuals, they're indicative of what you could own.
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
There’s gotta be a Groupon for this. So long as anyone doesn’t have a major criminal record, I’m game.
So its a privately owned and operated rail car, that lots of people can group together with and pay the total cost of by individually paying a smaller part of it, like some sort of ... publicly accessible private transportation ... I think you might be on to something!
Jesus you’re right, I never knew I was a socialist.
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#29My great grandfather was an executive with some Canadian railroad company and I remember hearing about how my dad would get rides in his grandfather's private car attached to trains going to and from boarding school.
Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars
#30We rode the New York Central 3, a private car built for a Vanderbilt a century ago, cross country, attached to the rear of the Lake Shore Limited, changing in Chicago to the California Zephyr. A great experience, watching the scenery go by for 4 days, with a 270-degree view from the sitting room in the rear. Basically, there are hobbyists who buy and upgrade these cars, and try to break even on chartering trips on th…
How much did that cost?